Dan's Outside

I go, I see, I do, I walk, I think, I like…

A Trip Report. Or is It?

Trailcraft is currently featuring a day by day report on a trip in Hells Canyon. It features a new daily report and photographs. Sounds cool, yes?

However, if you had visions of someone uploading their digital photos and reports straight from the trail you may be disappointed. Instead, each daily report features photos taken on previous years’ trips into the area, along with commentary written before trip. It is an interesting series, but perhaps not quite what you think you are reading.

Such trips don’t always go as planned. It would be really interesting if they emerge from Hells Canyon with a completely different story to tell.

April 15, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on A Trip Report. Or is It?

The Racetrack Playa and the "Moving Rocks"

Whenever I post photographs from Death Valley’s Racetrack Playa, as I have done this past week, I get questions about the “moving rocks.” I just posted a piece on this subject at my photography web site.
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April 12, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on The Racetrack Playa and the "Moving Rocks"

Congratulations, Tom

(An old article – posted here so as not to lose it during the site transition.)

It looks like Tom Mangan (at Two-Heel Drive) is going to get the opportunity to share his hiking and trails knowledge in the print edition of the San Jose Mercury News. Congratulations, Tom! (Follow the link to his site to read more.)

April 12, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Congratulations, Tom

Storms

“For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; any sky has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously.” – G. Gissing
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April 8, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Storms

E85 Fuel. Why?

I keep hearing about the E85 (corn based) fuel in discussions of global climate issues. But I don’t understand why.

I do understand that biofuels would reduce the need to import foreign oil. I also understand the concerns about converting food-producing cropland to the production of oil. But the biggest disconnect for me is understanding how E85 has any positive effect on CO2 emissions.
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March 31, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on E85 Fuel. Why?

Two-Heel Drive on the Move

Literally.

Tom of Two-Heel Drive has just completed a move from his mountain top lair above Santa Clara Valley to a location in the valley and closer to his work. After a brief break from blogging he is back with a series of posts.
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March 31, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Two-Heel Drive on the Move

California 2007: Drought or No Drought?

The 2006-07 rainy season in California has been something of a bust. From the Central California coast to the Sierra Nevada, we seem to have received about 50-60% of normal precipitation. We had above normal precipitation during the previous two seasons, so it seems that the climatological pendulum is swinging back the other way.

News reports ask whether we are entering another drought period. On one hand, a season of half-of-normal precipitation is normal in California, in the sense that it falls within the historical range of variation. Things become a bit less normal if the situation continues over several years. Even that would not be surprising – we just had two above normal years, why couldn’t we have a couple below-normal years? Along these lines, water experts are quoted as saying “we don’t have a problem.” Yet. Reservoir levels are still high after the two previous wet years.

But having sufficient water available in reservoirs for human use does not negate the fact that the state is in a drought condition now. The natural world is clearly affected by this: the spring growth is subdued by comparison to the past two years, and things looked downright arid in Southern California a few weeks ago. The lack of rainfall will certainly affect the state’s natural environment this year.

Being a hiker and backpacker, I’m always interested in effects that may alter my experience during the upcoming season. It seems quite likely to me that:

  • The high country will open up earlier this year. (See my earlier note about opening dates for Tioga Pass road.)
  • Spring skiing isn’t going to last very long – go now!
  • Yosemite Valley waterfalls will be spectacular as always – but earlier, not for as long, and you may think “they were better last year.” Don’t wait until June to visit.
  • It may be possible to backpack over the higher Sierra Nevada passes a week or two earlier this year – go early and avoid the crowds.
  • With luck, the peak of the mosquito season will come earlier and not last as long. But they’ll still be awful in the wrong places at the wrong time…
  • By August many seasonal streams will dry up. During the last couple of years many of these streams kept flowing later in the season or never dried up at all.
  • High country fall will seem to come earlier. One day in mid-to-late August I expect to be sitting on a rock in the Tuolumne Meadows area and get hit by the feeling/realization that the end of another summer season is just around the corner. Vegetation will begin to change color and go dormant earlier.
  • Oddly, while fall will seem to start earlier in the high country, it will also seem to last longer and some of the changes may be stretched out over a longer period.

It will be fun to look back at this post next October… :-)
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March 29, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on California 2007: Drought or No Drought?

My New Adventure Vehicle

Back in August I wrote about my search for a vehicle to replace my Dodge Durango. The Durango was a great vehicle for travel to the Sierra and beyond in all seasons – with four-wheel drive it could get me through snow and dirt/gravel roads, it was large enough to carry a bunch of fellow adventurers, and I could even camp inside. But it sucked gas. I was getting about 13 mpg in normal driving (maybe 14 mpg if I was very careful) and only 15-16 mpg on longer trips.

In the end we settled on a Subaru Outback. I got a nicely equipped model with the smaller non-turbo engine that is supposed to get 22-28 mpg. Guess what? It really does. Typical mileage in normal driving for me is about 25-26 mpg. On longer drives I consistently do get 28 mpg, and sometimes even a bit better than that. On a recent drive from Souther California to the SF Bay Area we actually got better than 29 mpg on the return trip.

I can’t vouch for its performance on dirt and gravel yet, and this winter I haven’t even had a chance to drive in real snow. (I did drive a bit in Seattle snow, but that is a more urban sort of thing.) By all reports it is not going to be as capable as the Durango, but I still think it will be fine for my use. More reports on that later…

Much to my surprise, I even discovered during an Autumn fall color trip to the eastern Sierra that I can sleep in the back of the Outback. With the middle seat down there is just enough room for me. Typically, I would prefer to set up a tent and sleep out in the fresh air, but there are times when I arrive at the end of a longish drive and it is just easier to roll out a sleeping bag and go to sleep.

March 25, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on My New Adventure Vehicle

Indoor Weekend… Sigh

It is a special time of year for this college faculty member… the week before finals. I’m buried under papers that demand to be read and graded. Now. So, despite the beautiful spring weather I’m staying indoors and trying to avoid too many distractions until I finish.

I keep reminding myself that after finals I have a whole week of spring break as compensation. :-)
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March 24, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Indoor Weekend… Sigh

Happy Spring!

Yup, spring starts today… oddly enough, with rain.
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March 20, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Happy Spring!

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